• Offered for Year: 2024/25

• Module Leader(s): Dr Murray Dick
• Lecturer: Dr Mercy Ette

• Owning School: Arts & Cultures
• Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus

Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Aims

- To enable students to gain a sophisticated understanding of sociological and cultural debates about the media and society through a number of case studies
- To advance students’ knowledge of the changing role of the mass media in a global context
- To provide a critical understanding of the concepts of media globalisation, media ethics, and key theories of the media
- To enable students to gain a comprehensive understanding of social and cultural theories of old and new media
- To provide students with the opportunity to extend their knowledge of the relationship between media production, forms, texts and audiences
- To enable students to comprehend the political economy of the media and the formation of policy and organisational processes and practices
- To enable students to gain an understanding of media representations including the relationship between media texts and readers/audiences
- To provide knowledge of the production, communication and interpretation of meaning in traditional and new media

The module offers students the opportunity to gain an advanced knowledge of key theories, concepts and debates required to analyse the intersection of media and society. Through a series of case studies, students will be introduced to contemporary debates about media, power and publicity through the following topics: globalisation, new media technologies, the political economy of the media, the public sphere and media organisations, and the relationship between production and consumption of media texts. Theories, concepts and debates about media and society will provide students with the analytical tools needed throughout the course to engage critically with contemporary approaches to the media.

Outline Of Syllabus

Topics on the module may include:

Introduction to media analysis
Approaches to media analysis
Media representations, and stereotypes
Discursive approaches to analyzing representations
Media technologies and cultural forms
Social media and changing relationships
The political economy of the media
Media globalisation
Media audiences

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The module aims to advance students’ knowledge and understanding of media analysis through the study of a range of key concepts theories and case studies. Lectures introduce and develop ideas and case study material and the seminars allow students to consider, assess and debate material in further detail. Seminars will involve small-group work and spoken presentations. This will be combined with private study and essay writing.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Assessment 1: Individual Analysis Exercise, Individual analysis exercise of 1000 words, 30%

For the first assessment, students are asked to produce an individual analysis exercise of 1000 words. This assignment allows students to develop the skills needed to analyse a media text. Students are asked to demonstrate an understanding and knowledge of the key concepts and approaches media studies required for such an analysis.

Additional task-specific criteria for Assessment 1 are as follows:

- A theoretically and analytically rigorous definition of the topic, informed by engagement with and understanding of appropriate primary and secondary research (K1; K2; S4);
- Application of research to appropriate media text (K4; K5; S2);
- Analysis of media text using research methods encountered while studying media in order to make meaningful conclusions (K3; S1);
- Coherence and written structure of the research essay, including appropriate academic tone at postgraduate level and effective display of media text and analysis (K5; S5; S6).

Assignment 2: Written Essay 1, 70%

For this assessment, students are required to write an individual essay of 2500 words. Students are asked to analyse an aspect of the media in the context of a topical theme, provided by the teaching team. Students must assess the strengths and weaknesses of approaches and theories in the study of the media, culture and society, and present their findings as a case study. The assessment will allow students to familiarise themselves with theories, problems and issues raised in the module and to develop a critical understanding of the intersection of media and society.

Additional task-specific criteria for Assessment 2 are as follows:

- Quality of definition of a contemporary media issue, informed by engagement with and understanding of appropriate primary and secondary research (K1; K2; S4);
- Quality of discussion of the weaknesses and strengths of methodological and theoretical approaches pertinent to the contemporary media issue at hand (K2; K6; S1; S3);
- Quality of discussion of intersections between media and its broader societal contexts and consequences (S4; K4; K6);
- Coherence and written structure of the research essay, including appropriate academic tone at postgraduate level and effective display of media text and analysis (K5; S5; S6).

Reading Lists

• MCH8057's Reading List

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
• MCH8057's Timetable